Certification: Asset or Liability?

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Carmel Gloria Stewart
5 years ago
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1 Certification: Asset or Liability? Unique testimony to knowledge and experience: Voluntary Specialized Private National and/or International Even where licensing laws exist, these features have value, because they are identical to the limitations of licensing: Voluntary vs. Mandatory Specialized vs. General Private vs. Governmental National and/or International vs. State level 1

2 Certification is inexpensive and easy to acquire, relative to other marketing initiatives: Average annual cost of IAQ certification: $150 Maintenance requirements can be negligible Certification ROI can be significant Are you certified? Answering No = rarely positive Answering Yes = rarely negative Available marketing collateral also significant Certifications rarely come under scrutiny by consumers. Why should I trust your credential? Can you demonstrate its reliability? What exactly does it mean? Not a conversation starter on very many doorsteps. Consumers don t know and often don t care to ask these questions. 2

3 Summary: 1. Independent testimony of knowledge and experience 2. Inexpensive and easy to acquire and maintain 3. High ROI 4. Rarely questioned Better than an ad in the paper why wouldn t you? Lots of reasons. Reason #1 Certification is insurance, not just marketing. It must be able to withstand scrutiny from people whose job it is to aks the follow up questions. If it can do this, it protects the professional reputation of the certificant. If it cannot do this, its value as a marketing tool lasts only until the scrutiny begins. 3

4 Who are the scrutinizers? Insurance companies Government procurement offices Attorneys Anyone who needs to verify knowledge and experience or question knowledge and experience. Anyone doing, for a public, corporate, or legal reason, what a consumer should be doing for a private reason. What are the follow up questions? What does the credential stand for, and how can we be sure? On what basis is the certification awarded? How is the certification administered? How is knowledge and expertise verified? How is impartiality protected? Reason #2 IAQ certifications tend to be worthless as insurance, making their marketing value only temporary. 4

5 A Familiar Pattern Training course based on course provider s anecdotal experience Certification exam based on training course, delivered by course provider Designation awarded by office staff in exchange for fees. The majority of IAQ oriented certifications are thus based on a conflict of interest. Reason #3 IAQ certifications are by and large non accredited and can never become accredited. 5

6 Third party what is it? 1. A credential for a certification 2. Formal adherence to published standards of operation a. Organizational structure b. Policies and procedures c. Examination development d. Use of Titles Third party who grants it? 1. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Founded 1918 ISO published in 2002 US Representative to ISO Focus: international standardization Focus: policies & procedures ANSI accredits certifying bodies 20+ Accredited programs Third party who grants it? 1. NCCA (National Commission of Certifying Agencies) s since 1970 s arm of ICE Focus: medical technology, health & safety Focus: psychometrics and exam development NCCA accredits certification programs More than 200 accredited programs 6

7 Third party who grants it? 1. CESB (Council of Engineering & Scientific Specialty Boards) Founded 1990 Focus: Engineering and science Focus: Specialization and program content ASTM E Accredited programs Third party : What is required? Independence Third party : What is required? Standards 7

8 Third party : What is required? Psychometrics Third party : What is required? Money Most IAQ related certification programs come nowhere near these requirements. The $64,000 Question: Potential Liability as Insurance < or > Apparent Benefit as Marketing?? 8

9 Assets Some organizations DO offer third party accredited certifications in fields related to Indoor Air Quality: American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) ANSI and NCCA Board of Certified Saftey Professionals (BCSP) ANSI and NCCA Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) ANSI and CESB (ACAC) NCCA and CESB More Information

AMERICAN INDOOR AIR QUALITY COUNCIL Press Release

AMERICAN INDOOR AIR QUALITY COUNCIL Press Release June 1, 2007 IAQ Council Certification: A Mark of Integrity By Charlie Wiles IAQ Council Executive Director At the American IAQ Council, we think of certification